School Taps Energy
“Pot
of
Gold”
Portsmouth Abbey is reducing its energy use through
the use of numerous innovative technologies.
SPECIAL TO GREEN MECHANICAL CONTRACTOR
Along the shores of Rhode Island’s Narragansett
Bay is Portsmouth Abbey School, a 500-acre,
co-ed boarding school founded by Benedictine monks in 1926. Brothers Robert and
Edward Kennedy schooled there. Its alumni
roster also includes some of America’s most accomplished
physicians, teachers, businessmen and entrepreneurs. But
the school has more recently gained worldwide attention for
its environmental savvy.
Today, anyone traveling within miles of the school will
quickly see the one of the school’s most noteworthy assets, the
state’s rst and largest utility-scale wind turbine. Installed in
rise 240 . above a grassy blu , a stone’s throw from the school’s
newest learning crucible, the “solar house” (see sidebar).
According to Brother Joseph Byron of the school’s Order
of St. Benedict, the wind turbine and solar house, combined
with other energy initiatives at the Abbey, t together nicely
into a new, earth-wise endeavor there.
“It involves students, staff, resource management and
– somewhat unexpectedly – broad outreach among people, businesses, and institutions that have sought us out as
sources of information and expertise,” Brother Joe says.
e tall, white Vestas wind turbine immediately became a
symbol of the school’s commitment to energy independence.
Shortly a er the turbine’s construction, Governor Donald
L. Carcieri said, “By harnessing the power of this natural
resource, the Abbey will not only help the environment but
will lessen its dependence on foreign energy sources.”
In addition to providing 40% of the school’s and mon-
n
GREEN PIONEERS
e green movement began at Portsmouth Abbey 12 years
ago – long before the concepts of “green build,” “green living”
and “green energy” entered the global consciousness.
“Improvements to the environment are within our reach,
but we have to be purposeful and united,” Brother Joe asserts.
“Some of the world’s greatest thinkers have said that now is
the time to make substantial change. A guiding principle of
the Benedictine monks is to serve as stewards of the land. We
take that calling very seriously.”
Paul Jestings, who joined the school’s staff in 1990 as a
facility engineer, was promoted to director of operations in
1998. His credentials include plant engineering, refrigeration,
astery’s electric energy needs, the wind turbine has been a
source of educational opportunity and a catalyst in the pursuit of cleaner and more-e cient ways to produce energy.
